U.S. Pat. No. 3,111,703 discloses a deodorant applicator comprising a receptacle having a cage fixed thereon that houses a ball. The cage has an end wall with a slit that is closed at rest. The end wall has two abutments disposed on either side of the slit and against which the ball comes to bear during application so as to exert stress on the abutments, causing the slit to open and allow the substance contained in the receptacle to pass to the ball.
French patent application No. 2,734,131 discloses a packaging and applicator device comprising a receptacle and a removable applicator element. The applicator element has a handle member defining a housing for a ball, which ball is urged towards the opening of the housing by a spring placed in the end of the housing.